Distance
by sarramaks
Summary: A one shot told in three parts. Flack/Angell romance/angst, Flack/Danny friendship. Angell's rumoured to have a new man and Flack can't eat. Sometimes the night just ain't long enough. Final chapter up.
1. Chapter 1

_Thank you to those who have reviewed the previous one-shots. This is a three shot (should be a one shot, but it had three clear parts, so they're going up as separate chapters). It does follow on from The Place, but you needn't have read that to understand this - they do stand alone._

_Thank you to those people who gave me 'direction'. I'd already written this fic before posting The Call, but it does fit with what most people suggested. I'm toying with doing another case fic (FA centred) that follows on from chapter three of this, but my muse is a little dried up at present, so I'm waiting for some breath taking idea, as I don't want it to be a rewrite of Hotwired. I'm likely to spin out their 'courting' as long as possible, for those that are interested, although at some point a climax will be had (absolutely no pun intended.)_

_Thank you to Lily Moonlight for the beta._

_A/N: Not mine, I do not own, don't sue - I'm saving for a holiday._

Distance Chapter 1

"They do a mean steak here," Danny said, his eyes cutting across the room to where a waitress was serving a customer with the object of Danny's desire.

"I'm not hungry," Flack said, putting down the menu and sinking into the seat. He really, truly wasn't hungry. Even Stella had commented on his non-appetite that afternoon when they had driven out to a call and he had refused stopping for a bagel.

Danny put down the menu in surprise and gave him a distrusting look. "You sick?"

Flack shook his head. "Not as far as I know. I'm just not hungry."

"Flack, in all the time we've been friends I have never known you to not want to eat. Even after you got that big hole in your chest you woke up hungry. You want to tell me what's up?" Danny pushed his glasses further up his nose and peered at him as if analysing a piece of evidence.

"Nothings _up_," Flack lied. There was plenty up. But nothing he wished to confess, not at the moment and not to Danny, who would waste no time in finding the funny side.

"Is this about Angell?" Danny said, picking up the menu again and acting nonchalantly, his eyes perusing through the meals, only occasionally glancing at Flack.

Flack looked about the diner, wondering how to respond. He did not do personal problems. Girlfriends came and went; they didn't affect his work either by him thinking about them or by him having to take their calls while he was on the job. The two things were kept completely separate. And he never got so caught up in a girl that he couldn't eat. "No. It's nothing to do with Angell."

"So why did you look like you'd lost a dollar and found a dime when you saw her all dolled up leaving work before. In fact, Don, your expression hasn't changed since then," Danny put the menu back down and took a drink of his beer. "I heard that she's seeing someone and I imagine that's pissing you off."

"We're just friends, Danny. It's nothing to do with me who she sees," Flack said, fiddling with his napkin and avoiding eye contact. Truth was, she'd been strange with him for a couple of week; making excuses to not go for coffee, being distant, and he wasn't happy about it. He liked her being around, being able to call her when he got in from a night out, being able to just be with her, all things he found confusing anyway. And now this. Someone had mentioned that another man had been staying at her apartment. She'd been seen dropping him off two morning's ago. Flack, much to his own disgust, was jealous.

"Try convincing someone else of that. You two have spent most night either together or on the phone. You take the same lunch breaks, you take the same locker breaks, you gaze at each other across your desks. If I were you, I'd be pissed," Danny said. "I just can't understand why you weren't, you know…"

"Sleeping together?" Flack finished for him.

"Yeah – which ever way you want to put it. She's hot and she clearly likes you. If it had been me… then boom!"

Flack looked at his friend and smiled knowingly. "Then I learnt from your example of why getting involved with your colleagues is not an exercise out of the Mensa text book. Lindsay speaking to you yet?"

"That's not the point. Most people meet their future partners at the workplace. It's where you spend the majority of your waking hours, so you shouldn't let the fact that you work together put you off, although it's not something to take lightly," Danny said. Flack wondered why he couldn't heed his own advice, although granted Ruben's death had had implications on his mental state.

"If she's seeing someone else, Danny, it's not even on the agenda, is it?" Flack said, giving up on hiding what was bothering him.

Danny shrugged. "Depends."

"On what?"

"How much you're into her and if she really is seeing someone else – could be her brother for all you know," Danny said. "I know what I'm ordering. That." He pointed over to a mixed grill that was being walked passed him.

Flack shook his head, still feeling like he had lost something he wasn't sure he'd had in the first place. "She's been acting funny with me," he said. "Distant. So it'd fit if she had a boyfriend."

"She been anywhere without you in the past few weeks?" Danny said.

Flack shook his head. "Just work and we've been out for drinks. She's done a lot of overtime. I saw her time sheet and I'm surprised she's still standing. Girl's got stamina."

"So she hasn't been anywhere she could have met someone?" Danny said, letting the obvious joke go, which surprised Flack somewhat.

"No, I don't suppose she has. It could be an ex… But, she's told me about them and she wouldn't… anyway, all that's beside the point. We were getting on fine and then she's suddenly started being distant," Flack looked at Danny, pushing the menu away from himself. "I'm really not hungry."

"Man, have you got it bad," Danny said. "You thought that she just might be getting cold feet?"

Flack shrugged. "This is Angell. I don't think she gets cold anything. Also, I have not got it bad. I don't get things 'bad'."

"Sure. So why you suggest coming here then if you're not hungry? Got nothing to do with something you overheard this afternoon about where our favourite female detective was headed this evening?" Danny said, smiling at the waitress as she came over. "Two mixed grills, please. And could my friend here have another beer? He seems to have drunk the first rather quickly."

"I don't know, Danny. Where was Angell headed? I stopped listening to water cooler gossip after kindergarten," Flack said, his tone tired. It hadn't been a good day.

"Funny how she was talking about it right next to your desk while you were there, and the restaurant she mentioned is half a block away," Danny said, taking his napkin and unfolding it.

Flack nodded, unsure of what to say. He knew he'd been caught out red handed. "Can we change the subject? It might help improve my appetite seeing as you ordered two mixed grilled."

Danny looked at him, puzzled. "What do you mean? They were both for me!" Flack rolled his eyes, he really wasn't hungry anyway.

-&-

By the time he left Danny, night time had truly arrived, darkening the city and his thoughts in equal measure. He found himself wandering the streets and avenues, making his way to Angell's apartment, working out believable excuses for turning up there.

He heard voices and laughter as he approached her door, a man's voice. He felt himself feeling choked by strange emotions. He was too truthful to let himself get worked up like this, but he had been scared of approaching her to find out what she was thinking, too scared of losing what had been built between them. He stood at the door and listened, not managing to decipher any words. Courage failed him, and he left, words unsaid, taking the long way home and hoping the night would numb him.

_Please review - no blackmailing involved as the next two chapters are already written and I'll post chapter 2 tomorrow and 3 on Monday, but I need some motivation for the current WiP._


	2. Chapter 2

_Thank you to those who reviewed the last chapter, for your comments and suggestions. If you didn't review - feel free to review this chapter! It's set pre DOA for a Day._

_Thanks to Lily Moonlight for the readthrough/beta!_

_See chapter one for disclaimer._

Distance - Chapter Two

The locker room was quiet; the usual smells of sweat and deodorant hitting him as he walked in, making his headache worsen. He sat down on one of the benches near to his locker and unknotted his tie, trying not to feel tired. He should have taken a cab back from Angell's the night before, but had wanted to breath fresh air, or as fresh as it got in New York City. He heard footsteps and looked up, catching a brief glimpse of Angell emerge from one of the shower cubicles into the ladies' area of the locker room, a towel tied around her and hair dripping down her back. The sight was enough to make him want to go home and play war games on a games console, feeling like a teenage boy trying to get over a crush on the class' most popular girl and not succeeding.

His nature got the better of him and he wandered over to the tall set of lockers that divided the male and female areas. He paused at the side of them, hearing her movements as she dressed inside a cubicle; the sounds of zippers being done up, material rustling as it was pulled on, creating images inside his mind.

"Jess," he said, raising his voice even though the locker rooms were empty save for them. "You got time to talk?" He didn't dare look round as he heard the cubicle door open, keeping his eyes firmly fixed on the ground at the same level as his heart.

"There's no one else here, come round," she called back. He read nothing in her tone that suggested how she was feeling about him. She could have been calling to anyone. He stepped around the lockers, noticing her things on one of the benches, items he recognised; her make-up bag, perfume, shoes. Standing with his back to the lockers he looked at her and noticed the light had gone out of her eyes.

"I hear you've had someone staying with you?" he said, expecting the teasing come back, the enquiries as to why he wanted to know, and dreading the answer.

She nodded, not looking at him. "My brother. He's in New York for a dentistry conference and wanted to stay with me instead of booking into a motel. Since he's had his own practise he's been learning how to save money."

He felt his pulse rate double, relief lifting the wieght that had been hanging on his shoulders. "Robbie," he said, remembering the tales she'd told about her siblings. He'd heard about Robbie one evening when Jess had been recounting the times she'd been caught trying to sneak out of the house when her father was on night shifts and Robbie had caught her, locking her in a closet. "I thought you were seeing someone."

She smiled, sitting down on the bench and looking up at him. "When've I had time? If I've not been working, I've been some place with you, or with you and Danny, or at home. Flack, I'd have told you. And besides…" she stopped mid sentence. His mind raced at what she had planned to say.

"So you're still single?" the words fell out of his mouth and he looked at her, not liking the feelings he was having, the vulnerability he felt, the exposure. He managed to keep his tone soft, rather than accusatory, feling awkward at asking such a question.

"Flack, if I was about to start seeing someone, I think you'd have known about it, or you would have been there when I met them. The closest thing I have to a boyfriend is probably you, and I know I've been kind of distant lately, and I own you an explanation," she said. She loosened the towel her hair was in and pulled her hair back, tying it away from her face. The act mesmerised him. "We work together. I needed to put a bit of space there so I could get my head around... I don't know, this thing between us." He felt a tumult of emotions as she said the words, knowing that what he was feeling wasn't going to be dismissed.

He sat down on the bench next to her, fixing his gaze on his shoes, noticing her bare feet and wondering what to say next. He didn't usually struggle for words, but this was difficult. "I missed you," he said, still unable to look at her face. He was honest by nature, but that was usually through a facade of wit and banter. Now his honesty was putting him at risk. "It bothered me that I thought you were dating someone else." He felt her hand grab his and he found himself smiling, fears flying away like birds released from captivity.

"Why didn't you come talk to me?" she said.

He shrugged. "I didn't think I should, you know, we're colleagues – I'm not your keeper," he finally looked up at her, losing himself as he looked into large brown eyes, letting himself be lost.

"But we are friends. I probably should have spoken to you about what was going on in my head, but…" she looked at him and he read a mixture of sorrow and hope in her eyes. "And - I didn't think the rumour mill would put two and two together and make seventeen. I was glad Robbie was here, it just gave me something to be distracted by."

"I should have said something, Jess, but we work together," he said, trying to explain things for the both of them. "We're being partnered more and more often. We shouldn't have…" he struggled for the word.

She nodded and he knew he didn't have to say any more. "We going for coffee at the end of shift?" she said.

He smiled. "As long as you let me pay. Is your brother still staying with you?"

"He left this morning to fly back home, so you can sleep on my couch without being busted by him," she said, standing up and pulling his hand up with her. The slight contact made everything better and he stood, maintaining the touch. Beside him, in bare feet, she was tiny. He fought urges he hadn't allowed himself to acknowledge before, knowing that they needed to get back to where they were before any instincts could be acted on.

"I'm not scared of your brothers, Jess," he said. "I haven't done anything."

Her laughter filled the room. "Yet," she said. "You haven't done anything yet." The contact between them broke as she bent down to pull on shoes and he began to make his way towards the exit.

"By the way," he said. Angell looked up. "You look good in red." She shot him a smile that showed she liked what he had said, her eyes dancing, and he knew how much he'd missed that.

He left the locker room and headed towards his desk, passing Danny on the way.

"You look better, Flack," Danny said, stopping.

"It was her brother," Flack said, an odd euphoria flowing through him.

Danny nodded. "Thought it might have been. Bet you could eat that mixed grill now."

_Yep, I know haven't it be her brother was a tad obvious, but more likely than it being the reccurance of a boyfriend. Still another chapter to go in this three shot._

_Please review - I love reading them!_

_I know there's one already, but I want to set up a Flack/Angell C2. If you have any suggestions as to what to include - I already have quite a few to add but I doubt I've red them all - please PM me. _


	3. Chapter 3

_Thank you to those who reviewed the previous chapters, or added the story as a favourite or an alert!_

_This is the final chapter of this extended one shot. I'm doing a new case fic, the prologue of which will also stand alone as a one-shot and is called 'Naming'. I'll post it in the next couple of days._

_This takes place the evening before Angell goes undercover in DOA for a Day (the episode spanned at least two days, and the evening when this is set contained a remarkable amount of events!)_

Distance - Chapter 3

Time had certainly not taken the time to smoke a cigarette tonight. Flack looked at the clock over the counter and wondered how they had managed to pack so much into one evening, or night as it now was. He felt exhausted, but had no plans to go home yet. He wanted time to stand still and take a breath so he could catch him and keep him prisoner, not just because of the continual adrenaline rush the events of the day had brought, but because of who was sat facing him.

"You carry on thinking Flack, and you won't be able to function tomorrow. And tomorrow I could definitely do with you functioning," she said. "I'm aware that male homicide detectives only have small brains, so please don't tire it out too much."

He gave her a sarcastic smile and drained the rest of his coffee with no added extras - just sugar and milk. "You sure you're okay with this?" he said, deciding to wait awhile before enacting revenge for her comments.

"With you and I having coffee, or with being tomorrow's dish of the day?" she said, raising her eyebrows.

"Both, I suppose," he said. Confessions were becoming easier when your priest looked like Angell.

"I'm a little worried about tomorrow," she said. He was surprised at her frankness. Usually, Angell showed no fear of anything to do with the job. He had never seen her flinch at any aspect; an almost ice-queen demeanour had always been present within her work, tackling grim aspects with out flinching.

"I'd be worried. You're meeting a serial killer with you dressed in…" he paused, trying to find the right adjectives.

"A very short dress, which only a man could pick, a pair of stilettos which I definitely couldn't run in before, and now certainly can't get anywhere in as I've sprained my ankle," she lifted the leg that was resting on the chair next to him, the ankle strapped up. She'd stumbled in the heels when she'd tried them on before, and had fallen awkwardly. He'd felt like asking Mac to persuade Lindsay to play the part instead, but had stopped himself: he knew that Angell was the best person for the job and she insisted it wasn't that painful.

"You look good in it though," he said, giving her a smile which told her he already knew her reaction.

"That's twice tonight you've told me I look good in something, Flack," she said, eyeballing him.

"And three times today. Maybe I'm making up for lost time," he said. "You'll be fine tomorrow. I've got your back, plus the ten or so other cops who will be lurking in one way or another. If it looks like she's sussed out your cover and she poses a threat, she'll be taken down. Mac won't put your life at risk," he said, persuading himself as much as Angell.

She nodded, glancing round the diner which, fortunately for them, was open all night. "I know. I also know things go wrong. What's pissing me off the most is if she runs. I can't chase. Not in those shoes."

"You can't with what you've done to your ankle anyway, Jess. Besides, if she runs, which she's likely to at some point, the rest of us are pretty fit," he said, sitting back and folding his arms.

"The last time to tried to outstay me on the running track, you lost," she said, reminding him of a few weeks earlier when they had paid a visit to the gym together, and she had managed at least half a dozen more laps than he had.

"My stamina is stronger in other departments," he said. "I'm quicker than you anyway."

She raised her eyebrows. "Most men are, but you're the first to be so honest."

Flack tried to stop the smile but couldn't. "Don't compare me to others, Jess, 'cause you'll only have to eat your words," he said, finding he was enjoying the conversation now they had detracted from her undercover work.

She laughed, causing a few other diners to turn around and look at them. Her eyes fixed on his and he felt as if the past few days had never happened, that he had never lost his appetite. "I'm glad you've got me covered tomorrow," she said. "Even if your outfit is nowhere near as good as mine."

"Park employees don't do it for you?" he said, enjoying the dancing around they were doing, avoiding talking about the fact that it was now past one in the morning, and neither was wanting to leave.

She smiled. "I'd have to see what was _under_ the uniform," she said. "However, I'm sure you don't have an issue with the dress."

"Neither does the male portion of the precinct," he said. All eyes had been on her as she'd prepared for the morning's operations, a few looks coming his way to gage his reaction when she'd emerged from the locker room. He looked at her now, make up free, tired and yet full of adrenaline with the promise of later and found her just as, if not more, attractive as when she'd been dolled up before.

"There's only one bit of that portion I'm interested in," she said, looking at him intently.

"I'm sure Mulligan will be glad to hear of it," he said, making her laugh. "You mean that?" She nodded and he felt as if his chest would explode. She had the inate ability to wrong foot him; compliments from her had his head spinning, doubting that she meant them. He was confident with women; he had no reason not to be, and he was beginning to wonder if he was so unsure around Jess because this was a little bit more than attraction. He paused, letting the silence hang while he studied her. She stirred the dregs of her coffee, glancing up at him and if he wasn't mistaken, looked a litle shy. "We should be going home," he said. "I know tomorow's not an early start, but…"

Angell nodded. "We should. You want another coffee?"

Flack laughed quietly, understanding what she meant. "I don't want to leave," he said. His fears over the passed few days had evaporated. She'd made it clear that this wasn't simply flirtatious banter and he was beginnng to realised that his feelings were reciprocated. He'd always been straight-talking and honest, sometimes it had been his downfall, and he'd disliked not being able to make it clear that she was more than a colleague, and a friend for that matter.

"Me neither," she said, her voice low. "And it's not because it's the world's best coffee."

He played with the spoon in the sugar bowl, unsure of what to suggest. Now wasn't the time to go back to her apartment or his. Lines that needed crossing were approaching, and sleeping on her couch was no longer a viable option. "Can I take you out for dinner?" he said, rather quickly and without giving himself too much time to think about it.

"Isn't that what you're doing now?" she said, smiling curiously at him.

He shook his head. "I meant on a proper date, where I pick you up, bring you flowers, eat somewhere other than a diner that serves burgers…" he looked at her as she tried to stifle a laugh.

"Flack, we can go on a date. But I'm not wearing that dress."

He laughed, standing up and leaving money to cover the check. "We should go," he said. The last thing either of them needed was to be too exhausted tomorrow and jeopardise the case or themselves, especially Angell. "Shall I walk you home?" He meant it, having no intention of crossing the threshold with her, knowing that relief and anticipation would not be condusive to restraining himself.

She nodded and stood, her ankle obviously paining her as she bared weight on it. "Carrying me might be a better option," she said. "I'll have to dose up with painkillers for tomorrow - or should I say in a few hours."

Flack moved around the table and put his arm around her to give her some support, the closest he'd ever been to her. He could smell the remains of her perfume and the conditioner she'd used on her hair, his heart beat a little faster and he wondered if she could tell. He liked closing the distance between them.

Her arm slipped around his lower back as they left the diner, communicating non-verbally for a moment, although he knew it wouldn't last long. He could swear that her head lent slightly into him, feeling the brush of a lock of hair against the side of his face and the pressure of her fingers as she used him to support herself.

"You want another coffee?" she said, when their silence became overwhelming. She looked up at him, the light in her eyes enough for him to be stood in daylight, even though the night was dark around them.

He laughed. "Where do you suggest?"

She pointed to a late night street vendor, hoping to make his money from the people leaving the clubs and bars. "There's a comfortable lookingbench just over there." Flack saw where she was pointing. Clearly she wasn't the only one looking for a way to pause the night.

The night watched them; bow smoking its cigarette, inhaling slowly and then passing it to time. For some, the night could never be long enough.

_Please review. I hope the build up between them has been slow/fast enough depending on your perspective. _

_Thanks for reading_

_Sarahx_


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